June 10 looms as deadline for Q-C hockey

The Eagles' Kevin Ulanski scores on a second-period penalty shot Wednesday during Game 4 of their playoff contest against Quad-Dities. (John Schultz / Quad-City Times)

He still believes the Quad-Cities is a "viable market" for the
Central Hockey League's upcoming season, but CHL commissioner Duane
Lewis indicated the clock is running.

Lewis said CHL teams will have to submit protected lists of
players they hope to retain from the previous season's rosters in
time for the league's annual meetings starting June 10 in Phoenix.
It is a date outlined in an agreement with the Pro Hockey Players
Association.

That makes one week from Friday an effective deadline for an
interested party to emerge to replace Eric Karls, the first-year
owner who abruptly closed the Quad-City Mallards on May 11.

Although Lewis said a new owner conceivably could recruit both
new and returning players after June 10, he wouldn't call it a soft
deadline.

The league is assisting efforts by i wireless Center executive
director Scott Mullen to find a person or group interested in
becoming the fourth to own a Q-C pro hockey team in the past four
years.

Mullen said he has a call scheduled Thursday with one
prospective new owner. Lewis said the league continues to try and
funnel interest Mullen's direction.

"We are still working on that one with various parties, trying
to make it happen," Lewis said. "We haven't shut the door on the
Mallards yet because we still believe this is a viable market for
us."

Lewis said at least two parties shopping for a hockey
opportunity have "fallen by the wayside, but we are still working
with various people to see if we can make this work."

Asked to name a number of remaining ownership candidates, he
said, "Legitimate? Maybe one. Maybe two. There's still people that
keep asking questions and keep inquiring about the situation. We
just can't make it happen fast enough."

Lewis said he has not spoken to Karls since before the Canadian
millionaire made his surprising mid-May decision. He could not say
how involved Karls remains in the process of finding new
ownership.

He said the league has managed to salvage teams just ahead of
the annual summer meetings before.

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"Sometimes the urgency gets to a point and things happen," he
said.

On Tuesday, the Colorado Eagles made official their long-rumored
departure to the rival ECHL, following Quad-Cities and teams in
Odessa and Rio Grande Valley, Texas, to the sidelines.

Rick Kozuback, whose Global Entertainment Inc., owns the CHL,
last week told the Bloomington (Ill.) Pantagraph he expected a
roster of 12 to 14 teams from what had been the 18-team CHL last
season.

Lewis declined to say Tuesday how many teams have committed to
return next season.

"But there are many teams coming back, even some that have been
speculated (to be folding or leaving)," he said. "We are still
working on some details with people, so I don't want to put numbers
out there. It's not the picture that was painted."